Avery Cantu, Muleshoe High School junior, has been bending, twisting, and lifting for me while I recover from my recent back surgery. She has also been squatting, bench pressing, and deadlifting her way to the Texas High School Powerlifting Association’s state meet held at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburgh, Texas, last week, March 18,19, 20, where she achieved personal records (PR) in all three powerlifting events.
Powerlifting at Muleshoe High School? I will have to admit I was totally unaware that powerlifting was offered at MHS. And come to find out, it was even going on while I was teaching at the high school way back last century! How did I miss this? The powerlifting coach, new to Muleshoe, Kyle Musgraves, said he wasn’t sure how long it had been a sport here, so I just went to the source and called former AD and head coach David Wood, also from last century, and asked him how long it had been around. And to my surprise, he said powerlifting was offered here when he came in 1996.
But I digress. The sport is more of an after school affair as the kids work out more after school rather than in athletics period during the day and is governed by the Texas High School Powerlifting Association rather than the UIL like the other school sports. I couldn’t find any information about how long that association has been around, but obviously at least since 1996. So, over the years they have emphasized athlete safety, discouraged extreme weight changes to fit into the various weight classes, and organized and hosted meets where the kids compete and qualify for the regional and state meets held throughout the state.
Avery said she got interested in powerlifting because her brother Noah, who graduated from MHS in 2024 and now plays football at Howard Payne University, was a powerlifter. She participated as a freshman, laid out her sophomore year, and started back up this year. She also plays basketball and throws discus and shot put on the track team, so she stays busy working out for a variety of sports.
Powerlifting has two divisions: equipped and unequipped, or raw. The unequipped athletes rely solely on the lifter’s natural strength without supportive suits and focuses on raw performance. Equipped lifting allows supportive gear to protect performance. Muleshoe athletes compete in the equipped division.
Powerlifting is comprised of three lifts: the squat, bench press, and deadlift. The gear includes a squat suit, which has two straps over the shoulders, kind of like something wrestlers would wear, that helps the lifter pull up when squatting. Knee wraps and belts are also used when doing the squat. A bench daddy helps with stability on the bench.
Lifters are put in classes based on athletes’ weights to make sure they are competing fairly with others of their same size. In Class 3A when she competed to qualify for state, Avery had 13 competitors. At state, she lifted against 19 competitors.
The bench press requires the lifting of a barbell loaded with the weights from the athlete’s chest up with the arms fully extended. The bar is held up with arms straight and then comes down to the chest. When the judge says “Press” the bar is pushed back up. Avery’s PR from the state meet was 140 pounds. You will notice in all pictures of Avery’s lifting that there will always be a spotter, someone there to help keep things safe as the lifter is lifting. In this picture, you do have to look past the spotter to see Avery preparing to lift on the bench.
Photo courtesy of Khloe Azua.
The squat has the athlete begin with the barbell resting on the rack and along her back. After getting steady as the bar is taken off the rack, the judge will say “Squat,” and the squat has to reach a certain depth. At this point, her upper legs must be parallel to the floor, and then Coach will say “UP” and she stands back up. She has to stay in that position until the judge says to rack the barbell. Avery’s PR for the squat was 300.
Photo courtesy of Khloe Azua.
The deadlift, which Avery said is probably her favorite and feels more confident doing, is when the bar has to be lifted from the floor up to a standing position with her back erect and shoulders back. This stance has to be held until the judge motions down and says “Down.” Her PR was 320.
Photo courtesy of Khloe Azua
Coach Musgraves, who is also the strength and conditioning coach, has the kids work out some during athletics and then works on powerlifting after school four times a week. He also encourages them to come to the weight room and work out during the summer. Twenty-five students participated this year in the program. Avery plans to compete next year and perhaps develop more strength after laying out her sophomore year.
Avery is the granddaughter of Gilbert and Shirley Aguirre, with whom she lives here in Muleshoe.
Next year’s meet is scheduled to be held in Waco, which won’t be a thirteen-hour drive from Muleshoe! So, we’ll see how those PRs improve over the senior year.
Show ’em how it’s done, Avery! Gives new meaning to what I would have heard at her age, which was “You throw-or in this case, lift-pretty good for a girl…”
Humph! Indeed. Let’s see you do it.
Thanks to Avery, Coach Musgraves, Sharon Riegel, Khloe Azua, and David Wood for their help with this story.
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